George Overhill

Sun 18 June 2023 19:10, UK

Rangers are considering former Arsenal figure Steve Morrow for the vacant sporting director role at Ibrox, The Athletic reports.

The former Northern Ireland international has recently left a role at the FA where he was head of player selection and talent strategy until February, having been head of youth development for five years at Arsenal as part of a spell of over a decade behind the scenes at the club he had previously played for.

The likes of England star Bukayo Saka and fellow Emirates stand-out Emile Smith Rowe came through the Gunners academy during his time in the role.

Rangers have already interviewed former captain Carlos Bocanegra for the job that Ross Wilson left in April for Nottingham Forest, but the American has been ruled out of the running.

Now, 52-year-old Morrow is one of the “contenders” after being highlighted by headhunting firm Executives in Sport, although an appointment is expected to be some weeks away.

Process

Morrow’s record at Arsenal will no doubt get Rangers fans excited about the prospect of the academy churning out some talents of the future.

There hasn’t been a huge amount of breakthrough in recent seasons from home-grown youngsters, so a boost in that department would be of benefit.

But the role that Wilson departed is expected to change with manager Michael Beale wanting to take a more hands-on role than his predecessor Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

It doesn’t appear that anything will be imminent at Ibrox given the Bocanegra interview didn’t result in an appointment, with various names now being considered.

Getting somebody in might not be the most urgent priority at Ibrox with so much work to be done in the transfer market.

But it would surely be better to have a name in place for the start of the new season to keep changes to a minimum once the campaign kicks off.

In other Rangers news, Brendan Rodgers will encounter a “way stronger” Light Blues side if he returns to Celtic according to Tom English.